Flash Fire
by Erzsebeth Bathory
Summary: Sean takes it upon himself to help his gang escape the local law.


**Author's note:** Nothing terribly in-depth here, but I just wanted to write out an action scene involving one of my favorite dudes from RDR2. The canon-abiding side of me states that this story takes place prior to the Blackwater incident, but the more freedom loving headcanon AU side of me insists that this takes place in a setting where all the characters we love and adore get to live long and happy lives :)

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Volleys of bullets were exchanged between members of the Dutch van der Linde group and the authorities. No fatalities so far. Though the lower half of his face was hidden behind a bandana, Sean MacGuire grinned from ear to ear as he hid behind a wagon. Every time he got to come along on a job with the others, it never proved to be boring. He couldn't stand monotony—he craved action. Raising hell, being rough and reckless, and all the while getting away with the loot was invigorating. He rejoiced in all of it.

Arthur, who was crouched next to Sean, yelled, "We're wasting time and bullets here! We gotta go!"

Sean elbowed him and suggested, "How 'bout you leave it to me, Morgan? I'll draw their attention while you boys get to them horses!"

A chunk of wood was blown off the wagon that was next to Arthur's ear. If it had been any closer, he would've dropped like a sack of potatoes. Arthur recovered from the near miss and hastily countered, "It's too risky, and we ain't leavin' you behind!"

"Come off it, Englishman! 'Member that time last year I was gone for three months? Got separated from you lot? I made it back just fine, and I didn't get help from no one! You don't got to worry 'bout nothin'! Not like they got anybody snipin' at us from the rooftops."

Arthur considered it despite the mayhem steadily growing. He took a chance and fired a couple of rounds at one of the marshals before he ducked back to the temporary safety of the wagon. It wouldn't be long before those men advanced on their group. There was only a handful of them but over a dozen or so law enforcements. Time was against them.

"Alright, fine!" Arthur caved as he loaded more bullets into his revolver. "You better watch your step, you hear me? Don't try to show off. Just draw as many of 'em as you can away from us and we'll take care of the rest. Shoot to kill if any of 'em are an immediate threat! Just remember, Dutch ain't gonna wanna spend any more money on lowering our bounties!"

Sean laughed and was practically bouncing with anticipation. "You won't regret this, Arthur! See ya back at camp!"

With that, he scrambled away from the wagon, dodged any bullets that flew in his direction, and barged into the neighboring general store. With breakneck speed, he searched the shelves and snatched the items that he needed. The store owner, who cowered behind the counter, meekly protested about being robbed during the shootout. A stray bullet shattered one of the windows and he clammed up right away.

Sean cackled as he knelt on the floor beneath one of the other windows that hadn't been destroyed. From there, he promptly doctored up a couple of fire bottles with the ingredients he swiped.

"Now we're talkin'," he whispered eagerly as he remained on his knees and snuck over to the broken window. Glass crunched beneath his boots as he pressed against the wall. He lit the rag of one of the bottles and stole a peek through the jagged glass shards. A cluster of men gathered just across the way and were focused on Arthur and the others.

"Here's to you, ya bastards!" Sean hollered as he stood up and hurled the bottle.

As soon as the bottle crashed onto the street, fire exploded. In a terrifying flash, it spread over everything it touched. The horses reared in pain and fright, and the men screamed. Those gunmen who were bucked off their mounts were caught on fire. The ones who managed to get away unscathed were now scrambling to fetch water to throw on their comrades.

Preferring to stick close to the ground, Sean made his way to the back door where he came from. As tempting as it was to rob the register, he knew it'd be a risk. Arthur and the gang already had the money and were more than likely making their way out of town right now. Everyone would separate until the marshals stopped looking for them, then they would all head back home. It was time for him to leave.

As he pushed the door open, someone grabbed his arm from behind. His jerked around and saw it was store keeper.

"Leggo!" Sean hissed as he used the butt of his gun to smash the man's fingers. The owner yelped in pain and snatched his hand back, but before he could look up, Sean fired his weapon. A bullet was lodged into the owner's shoulder and the force knocked him back. Sean made sure the shot wasn't fatal but that he wouldn't be followed. He could never stand killing innocent folk, even if they slowed him down a bit.

"Gonna think twice before doing that again, eh?" Sean warned before he emerged outside. He made a break for it and ran through the back alleys. Rapid fire exploded behind him, but he didn't look back. Instead, he whistled for his horse, Ennis. As he bobbed and weaved his way about any obstacles he crossed, he kept whistling.

"C'mon, boy, where are ya?" he huffed as spilled out into the open streets near the edge of town. Wide dirt roads and grassy fields beckoned him in the distance.

Angry voices grew louder and they were followed by more gunshot pops. Countless hooves pounded the earth. Sean pressed himself against the nearest building and cursed. He didn't have to wait long, as he spotted his horse galloping over to him.

"Atta boy!" he cheered. As soon as Ennis was close enough, he threw himself onto his trusty steed and grabbed the reins. As a couple of gunmen charged around the corner, Sean grabbed his other fire bottle, lit the rag, and threw it. This one crashed in front of the horses, causing them to rear up in panic. One of the men fired a round of bullets at Sean, but all of them were wild and came nowhere near him.

By the time the men made their way around the wall of flames, Sean MacGuire had long since left a trail of dust in his wake.


End file.
